Scan barcode
bites_of_books's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The mystery itself is quite interesting but I couldn't help but be distracted by the confusing writing and the racist and ableist language used.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Medical content, Alcoholism, Ableism, Murder, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Chronic illness, Grief, and Sexism
nota_candycaine's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Ableism, Sexism, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood
Minor: Self harm and Suicide
chrisljm's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The premise sounded so intriguing to me at first, but I ended up not being invested in the story at all. I found it to have not enough story and the mystery a bit convoluted to follow along.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Sexism, and Murder
Minor: Violence, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Medical content, and Self harm
poirot's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Sexism
crufts's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOW! Just wow! This brilliant mystery novel raced along, never wasted a word, and had me applauding at the final page.
Two months after the residents of the Sunset Towers apartment block move in, the mysterious Mr Westing dies and leaves his $200 million fortune to nearly all of them in his will. But to get the money, the heirs-to-be must solve a mystery set up by Westing. It's the titular Westing Game: who murdered the old businessman, and why?
I can't speak highly enough of the writing style. Clear, brisk, and efficient, the 216-page novel has an economy of words that leaves us space to focus on the actual clues of the mystery. As the clock ticks on, the image of the crime and the motivations of each of the characters comes into focus.
The narrative is also very funny in its portraiture of the characters, who are often amusingly self-absorbed:
Two months after the residents of the Sunset Towers apartment block move in, the mysterious Mr Westing dies and leaves his $200 million fortune to nearly all of them in his will. But to get the money, the heirs-to-be must solve a mystery set up by Westing. It's the titular Westing Game: who murdered the old businessman, and why?
I can't speak highly enough of the writing style. Clear, brisk, and efficient, the 216-page novel has an economy of words that leaves us space to focus on the actual clues of the mystery. As the clock ticks on, the image of the crime and the motivations of each of the characters comes into focus.
The narrative is also very funny in its portraiture of the characters, who are often amusingly self-absorbed:
Thursday was a sunny day, a glorious day; the autumn air was crisp and clear. None of the heirs noticed.
With a whopping sixteen potential heirs in the game (plus a few other minor characters hanging around), the novel accomplishes the impossible: each of these named characters are memorable and distinguishable from eachother. I didn't believe it could be done, and yet Ellen Raskin did it. A technique she used very well for this was to explicitly list out the names of the heirs during the reading of the will. After that point, it's not hard to remember who anyone is.
Any further details would be spoilerific. But if you enjoyed the film Knives Out (or another house-based mystery story), you'll love The Westing Game. Frankly, this ought to be made into a movie as well. Oh man! I can't wait to reread it so I can catch all the details I missed on the first pass.
Any further details would be spoilerific. But if you enjoyed the film Knives Out (or another house-based mystery story), you'll love The Westing Game. Frankly, this ought to be made into a movie as well. Oh man! I can't wait to reread it so I can catch all the details I missed on the first pass.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Racism, and Sexism
Occasional racism, ableism and sexism appears amongst the heirs. However, the author lampshades these as unacceptable by the negative reactions of other characters, and this bad behaviour doesn't go unpunished.
More...